Program quality at the heart of the suit to stop merger of art colleges

Posted: Tuesday, February 28, 2006

When the Savannah College of Art and Design opened a campus in Atlanta in 2005, the Atlanta College of Art reportedly began plans to market itself as superior in accreditation and student-faculty ratio.

But six months later, the corporate board of trustees was talking merger, according to a suit filed to stop the deal.

If the century-old Atlanta College of Art is taken over by SCAD, the ambitious new college on the art school scene, six students believe high artistic standards will be sacrificed for glitz and glamour.

SCAD, with its long list of international accolades, 7,300 students, rich and famous patrons and blossoming reputation could easily scoff at being compared to an institution that attracted just 109 new students in 2004.

But the ACA students filed suit against the Woodruff Arts Center in Fulton County Superior Court on Feb. 15 to stop the merger.

The Woodruff Arts Center holds the 501(c)3 that enables the Atlanta college to operate as a non-profit organization. SCAD was not named in the suit.

The students are seeking an injunction to block the merger process and money to cover costs they have incurred to continue their studies in nationally accredited programs.

"The decision was made with the best interests of the students in mind," she said. "The reason we voted for this is it's going to create another quality art college in Atlanta and offer more opportunities in education."

The students' complaints are based on SCAD's lack of specialized art program accreditation from the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, academic freedom issues that led to censure by the American Association of University Professors in 1993 and controversies related to decades-old legal battles with its accrediting agency, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, former faculty, supporters and the School of Visual Arts.

The suit argues that the Woodruff Arts Center Board of Trustees arranged the deal despite student and alumni objections because of the financial growth potential SCAD offers. Portions of complaint letters submitted to the Woodruff Board are included in the suit.

"SCAD is a money machine, an unaccredited graduation factory with nothing in the way of faculty or institutional standards. They are about raking in cash..." wrote William Brown, chair of the Visual Arts at Emory University.

"They offer course work designed to get their graduates low- paying mid-level graphic and media functionary work. I urge you to reconsider this atrocious merger decision..."

The Savannah College of Art and Design, which is moving forward with efforts to transition ACA students and faculty into its 501(c)3 fold by summer, defends its quality. SCAD officials think the suit stems from fear of change rather than reality.

SCAD's regional accreditation through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and its program quality has been sufficient enough to get graduates into prestigious graduate degree programs at New York University, Parsons School of Design, Columbia University, Harvard and Yale, said Pam Rhame, SCAD's senior vice president for recruitment and communication.

She said SCAD has sought specialized accreditation from national accrediting agencies for specific programs that require it for graduates to gain certification, but in most cases it isn't necessary.

Rhame said the National Association of Schools of Art and Design doesn't even accredit 15 of the majors that SCAD offers.

All currently enrolled ACA students who are returning next year are being offered transition to SCAD. Their majors will be continued through graduation and it won't take them any longer to graduate. They will also be offered the same tuition and scholarships, so it won't cost them any additional money.

Contracted ACA faculty are also being offered transition deals.

They can choose to continue teaching under their same contract or a SCAD contract. They can also opt for early retirement if they qualify.

Of the 24 ACA faculty under contract, so far 19 have submitted letters of intent to transfer their employment to SCAD, according to Rhame.

Of the 240 students who are eligible for transfer to SCAD, Rhame said 187 have already met with a SCAD transition adviser and so far 163 have signed transfer intent letters.